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Origins of Dairying in Ancient Europe Project

Europe is marked by rich and diverse cheese-making cultures. In this project we are characterizing the European transition from secondary product dairy consumption to modern dietary habits through direct detection of milk products by proteomic, isotopic, and metagenomic analyses of human dental calculus.

Cattle dairying shaped the evolution of the human lactase gene in Europe.

Cattle dairying shaped the evolution of the human lactase gene in Europe.

Photo credit: Christina Warinner

Photo credit: Christina Warinner

Europe is marked by its rich and diverse cheese-making cultures. The unique flavors, textures, and biological processes by which this diversity is achieved have all been codified by Protected Geographical Status for many European cheeses, some of which have been in production for thousands of years. The history of these cheesemaking industries is rooted in an important nutritional source for early Europeans, and set the stage for later adaptations for the consumption of whole milk. Whole milk, unlike many cheeses, has concentrations of the sugar lactose which are high enough to cause health issues for humans who lack the ability to process it efficiently.

Genetic sequence obtained from a medieval skeleton in Germany. A thymine (T) at the highlighted position (-13910) results in continued lactase production during adulthood and enables the digestion of fresh dairy products. A cytosine (C) at this position results in lactase production being turned off after weaning and is a major risk factor for adult lactose intolerance. Current evidence suggests that the T-13910 allele is absent among the earliest European farmers and only rose to high frequency within the past 5,000 years.

Genetic sequence obtained from a medieval skeleton in Germany. A thymine (T) at the highlighted position (-13910) results in continued lactase production during adulthood and enables the digestion of fresh dairy products. A cytosine (C) at this position results in lactase production being turned off after weaning and is a major risk factor for adult lactose intolerance. Current evidence suggests that the T-13910 allele is absent among the earliest European farmers and only rose to high frequency within the past 5,000 years.

Image credit: Christina Warinner

Image credit: Christina Warinner

This ability is conferred by the persistence of the gene LCT into adulthood, a genetic feature that is highly prevalent in modern Europeans. These separate horizons — the advent of cheesemaking and the later addition of milk consumption — represent what has been called the two-step milk revolution. This project aims to characterize the European transition from secondary product dairy consumption to modern dietary habits through direct detection of milk and milk products by proteomic, isotopic, and metagenomic analyses of human dental calculus.